Egg cleaning machine



March 4, 1952 H. A. HUTCHINSON EIAL 2,587,730

EGG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1947 V 2 Si-lEETS-SI-1"EET 1 INVENTORS 16.5. Jiuic]: inson 4 R. CPaicheiZ BY t ATTORNEYS I 2 SHEETSSFLEET 2 ENTORS inson R. C. Patcbeii QN Q Q 9 7 Q INV J25. zifiuicb ATTORNEYS H. A. HUTCHINSON EI' AL March 4, 1952 EGG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1947 Patented Mar. 4, 1952 EGG CLEANING :MACHINE Harry A. .Hutchinson and Roy C. Patchett, Sebas'topol, Califl; said Patchett 'assignor to said Hutchinson Application October 28, 1947, Serial No. 782,662

3 Claims.

. 1 This inventionis directed to, and'it is an 'ob- .ject to provide, an improved, power actuated egg cleaning machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an egg cleaning machine which includes a novel,

egg scrubbing assembly comprised of power driven, annularly grooved rollers and combination or unitary egg supporting and "stop bars'associated therewith in a manner to maintain the eggs inproper engagement withthe rollers; the lower parts of the rollers runningin water in an open-topped tank, and both the rollers and'bars 'being'face'd with a coarse cloth, suchas toweling,

to facilitate the egg cleaning operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spray unit above the assembly of the rollers and bars to flush the eggs as they are being scrubbed. An additional object of "the invention is to mount the rollers,the bars, and spray unit for ready removal so that such parts'may' becleaned,

repaired, or replaced in an easy manner.

It is also an object of this invention *toprovi'de each egg supporting bar with egg receiving .grooves 'or pockets of generally concave configuration infa'cing and matching relation "to the grooves of the corresponding "roller "whereby to "maintain each egg rolling in the proper'grooves,

and to more effectively scrub the eggs.

7 Another "objectof the invention is to .provide a novel egg drying mechanismin association with the cleaning or s'crubbing'app'aratus; such'mechanism including an air fan and heating'elem'ents arranged in "a uniquefman'ner to deliver heated air about the cleaned'eggsas then carried in an "Open, "portable "rack.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple, practical, "and'co'nvenient egg cleaning machine, and one which will be exceedinglyie'fiective for the purposefor which'itis designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts 'aswill fully'appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. 1

In'"the drawings:

Fig. 1 is'a longitudinalsectionalelevation of "the improved 'egg cleaning machine.

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary"cross' section showing .the' arrangement of the'rollers and bars in the egg cleaning orscrubbing assembly.

Fig.'4'is an enlargedcross section of one of the eg supporting barsjtaken on 1ine4- 40f'Fi'g.'3. .Referringn'owmore particularly tothe characters of'reference" on the drawings, the machine *2 comprises an upstanding "horizontally elongated cabinet, indicated generally at I, Which "cabinet includes legs -2 at'thecorners; end walls 3 and side walls t.

A tray-type or-open=topped tank 5*is mounted in the cabinet 1 adjacent the top thereof by means of a pair of rigid crossbeams'fi and l. The tank is substantially the samewidth as the-cabinet I and extends from adj acent'on'e 'end' thereof 10 to a'terminationshort of the oppo'site end of the cabinet forthe purpose'hereinafter described.

'A plurality of elongated rollers 8 are "disposed lengthwise of the tank5with the-'lower-portions of said rollers runningintheiatter. Ihe rollers 8 are disposedin"spaced apart side byside relation, and are supported or journaled, at "the ends, by'mean's of'projecting spindlesll-which rem'ov'ably seat in upwardly "opening notches It in "the corresponding "cross beams 6. As the rollers "3 arerelatively'heavy,"the spindles normallytend to seat in thenotches Hi,"butnevertheless-such rollersare readily-removablefrom-the machi-neby merely lifting upwardly thereon.

"The rollers'8 aresimultaneously driven in the directionindicated by the arrows-*in-Fig. -3,--with the same sides thereof turning upwardly, by means of anendless-"beltandpulley-unit H -'-including pulleys [2 on the outer end spindles --9. The endless "belt and "pulley'unit ll is driven from a reduction -gear'unit it operated by an electric motor f4 such reduction gearunit and motor 4 beingmounted in "the 'cabinet--below the tank 5-by means-including cross members I-S.

'As -previously 'described, the rollers "-8 are of such diameter thatth'e lower portion thereof runs in the tank 5, but the upper-portions 015 said rollers are exposed. These rollers- 8 ;each include 'a plurality "of annular --g-rooves -l 6 -a-nd said "rollers, including the grooves IB, are "faced 40 with *a'relatively coarse cloth or material, such as towling, which-facing is indicated at -l 1.

Egg-"supporting bars 18 extend- -leng-thwise of the'mach'ine between the cross -beams l intermediate the rollers "8, substantially full length "thereof, above"the horizontal plane'ofthe axes of Lthe "latter. "disposed with their working faces I 9 at an acute angle to the perpendicular, and substantially tangent to the bottom ofthe grooves 16 on-the upwardly "moving side of the corresponding 'roller.

The working faces [9 of the -egg supporting bars "are provided "therealon'g with *spaced, outwardly tapering blocks 20, andwa facing 2! of relatively heavy cloth, such as toweling,=over- These egg supporting bars 1 8 are lies said working faces, including the blocks 20, whereby to form egg receiving pockets 22 which are OI generally concave configuration in facing and matching relation to the grooves l6 of the corresponding roller 8. j

The egg supporting bars 18 are carried or mounted at their ends in upwardly opening channel brackets, which permit of easy removal of the bars 18 Ior cleaning, repair, or replacement.

Amxed to the upper edge of each eg supporting bar l8, in unitary relation, is an egg stop bar 24, which likewise extends full length of the.

roller assembly and pro ects at a slight downward incline from said bar iii in overhanging relation to the next roller 3, terminating ad acent the high point of the latter. As is obvious, the egg stop bars 24 are removable with the corresponding supporting bar l8, and the bars 24 are similarly faced with toweling, as shown.

A plurality of spray pipes 25 extend lengthwise above each of the egg supporting bars l3 and are adapted to discharge downwardly in the direction of said bars; the pipes 25 being supported at opposite ends by manifolds 26 which are in turn oetachably supported from the cross beams 6 by supporting brackets 2'1. A valve 28 regulates water flow to the above described spray pipe unit, which unit is removable from the brackets 21 to permit of ready access to, and removal of, either the rollers 8 or the bar units, including bars 18 and 24.

The above described structure comprises the egg cleaning or scrubbing assembly of the machine, and such assembly functions as follows:

With a quantity of water in the tank 5, and the rollers running therein, eggs 29 are placed one each in the grooves l6 of the rollers B; said eggs bearing also in the corresponding pocket 22 of the adjacent egg supporting bar l8. As the rollers turn, the eggs are rolled about, being effectively scrubbed by the rough facing ll of the roller groove l6, and the rough facing 2| of the pockets 22. During this operation the eggs 29 are constantly sprayed from the pipes 25 to flush all dirt from such eggs as they are being scrubbed.

The egg stop bars 24 which overhang each roller 28 prevent any egg which may tend to travel in the corresponding roller groove Hi from passing the high point of the roller. In other Words, the bars 24 stop the eggs from traversing with the rollers beyond their high points, which would be undesirable, and cause breakage etc.

By constructing the egg supporting bars 18 and the adjacent egg stop bars 24 in unitary relation, they may be removed as a unit, which is advantageous, and further no separate end mounting is requiredfor said bars 24.

After the eggs have been thoroughly cleaned or scrubbed, they are removed from the rollers 8 and dried in the following manner:

Between the cross beam 1 and rectangular opening in which is mounted a horizontal, perforate or screen platform 30, the inner half of such platform having a drip pad 3| thereon. Cleaned eggs as taken from the rollers B are placed directly in open portable racks 32 which first seat on the drip pads 31, and after a time are shifted directly onto the outer or remaining portion of the screen platform 30. V

A substantial distance below the screen platthe end of the cabinet l remote from the tank, there is a form 39, the cabinet I includes a bottom plate 33, which extends from the adjacent end wall 3 inwardly to a termination short of the opposite end wall of the cabinet, whereby to leave a bottom opening 34 below the electric motor [4.

Air is sucked through the bottom opening 34 by means of a fan 35 in the cabinet mounted in a position to discharge air through the tunnel T formed between the bottom plate 33 and screen platform 30. The fan 35 is driven by a motor 36 carried on a cross member 31. The air forced through the tunnel 36 by the fan 35 delivers upwardly through the perforate or screen platform 39; there being a diagonally disposed baflle 38 in the tunnel T arranged to cause one part of the stream of air to flow upwardly through that portion of the platform 30 which carries the drip pad 3 I, and another part of said stream of air to flow through the remaining portion of said platform.

A plurality of heating elements 39, here in the form of electric lights mounted on a cross member 49, are disposed between the bafile 38 and the adjacent end wall 3, acting to heat that part of the stream of air which flows through the outer or I unobstructed portion of the platform 39.

The portable racks 32, as initially filled with eggs from the rollers 8, first seat on the drip pad 3| so that excess water may shed from the eggs and be caught by said pad.

In practice, the stream of air which flows against the under side of the drip pad 3| is sufficiently strong to lift said pad into engagement with the lower ends of eggs in the open, portable rack 32 on said pad, whereby to positively pick up, by absorption, water drips on the lower ends of said eggs.

As such pad is constantly subject to a stream of air, evaporation occurs, so that the pad does not become unduly wet.

After the eggs have shed excess Water onto the pad 3|, the racks 32 'are moved outwardly to the unobstructed portion of platform 39, and at this point heated air delivers from the heating elements 39 upwardly through the platform 30 to complete the drying of the eggs. As soon as the eggs are dried the portable racks 32 are removed from the machine for subsequent handling.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the'device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. In an egg cleaning machine, an elongated horizontally disposed driven roller having a plurality of annular egg-locating grooves therein, and means to form, with the upturning side of the roller, a longitudinal substantially V-shaped egg receiving trough open along the top for the placement and removal of eggs, said means comprising an egg supporting bar extending lengthwise of the upturning side of the roller and disposed with its working face above the horizontal axis of the roller and substantially tangent to the bottom of the roller grooves at an acute angle to the perpendicular; said bar being formed on its working face with concave grooves from the top down facing and matching corresponding roller 8 grooves and forming egg receiving pockets with said roller grooves.

2. In an egg cleaning machine, an elongated horizontally disposed driven roller having a plurality of annular egg-locating grooves therein, and means to form, with the upturning side of the roller, a longitudinal substantially V-shaped egg receiving trough open a1ong' the top for the placement and removal of eggs,l said means comprising an egg supporting harfe irtending lengthwise of the upturning side of the roller and disposed with its working face above the horizontal axis of the roller at an acute-angle to the perpendicular and formed on said, face with concave egg locating pockets, open to the top of the bar, facing and matching the corresponding roller grooves. Y

3. A device as in claim 2, with a liquid spray pipe disposed above and laterally offset from the central portion of the trough, and arranged to 20 discharge liquid downwardly through said pockets.

HARRY A. HUTCHINSON.

ROY C. PATCHETT.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 40,148 Smith Sept. 29, 1863 901,774 Boies Oct. 20, 1908 1,081,367 Cook Dec. 16, 1913 1,958,720 Schmidt May 15, 1934 2,087,844 Hansen July 20, 1937 2,357,892 Grant Sept. 12, 1944 2,412,407 Kilbury Dec. 10, 1946 2,412,565 Davis Dec. 17, 1946 

